Rotary display unit



E. W. BLAIR ROTARY DI SPLAY UNI T Filed Sept.

June 6, 1967 INVENTOR Edgar W. B/air' United States Patent 3,323,243 ROTARY DISPLAY UNIT Edgar W. Blair, Box M, Republic, Mo. 65738 Filed Sept. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 490,579 Claims. (CI. 40-72) ets therein so that the buyer could inspect the cards and remove the ones desired.

The plastic holders were generally hung from a relatively tall rack and extended to the floor and thus, large space requirements were necessary. The present invention obviates this disadvantage by providing structure which compactly carries the cards while still making them 9 all available for quick inspection and removal. Also, i the display unit of this invention can carry a much longer series of display pockets than could be practically suspended vertically from a rack or the like.

It is an important object of the present invention to provide a display mechanism having a rotary drum for carrying a series of side-by-side display pockets which are grouped in successive pairs and folded, all to the end ,that they are mountable substantially radially about the drum, there being retainer means on the drum for holding the especially arranged pockets. The various grouped pairs are then brought into register for display by merely rotating the drum or turning the pockets about their connecting points on the drum.

Another object of the instant invention is to provide tioned character are quickly and easily mounted on a rotary drum due to the provision of rib and slot structure on the drum which is designed to cooperate with a string for pivotally securing the pockets to the drum.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a rotary display unit made pursuant to the teachings of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof, parts being broken away and in section to reveal details of construction;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side elevational view of the drum, parts being broken away and in section for clearness;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

The rotary display unit of the present invention broadly comprises a support rotatably receiving a drum 12 which is adapted to carry a transparent plastic holder 14. Support 10 is substantially box-like in construction and includes a back panel 16, a bottom panel 18, and a pair of opposed side panels 20. Each side panel is provided with a notch 22 opening inwardly and upwardly for rotatably receiving drum 12.

Drum 12 includes a central hub 24 having a plurality of equally spaced, radially extending, longitudinal ribs 26 which form a series of slots 28 therebetween. Ribs 26 are substantially rectangular in transverse cross-sectional configuration and the outer surfaces thereof are .40 a display unit wherein display pockets of the aforemen- "Ice arcuate to define the generally cylindrical, outer surface of drum 12. Each rib 26 is provided with a pair of projections 30 extending from the opposed ends of the ribs, it being noted from FIG. 4 that the outer surface of each projection is coextensive with the outer surface of its corresponding rib, while the inner surface thereof is disposed slightly outwardly from the bottom of proximal slots 28.

A circular spacer 32 is provided at each end of hub 24 and is axially aligned therewith, each spacer 32 carrying a shaft structure or trunnion 34. Drum 12 is thus adapted to be rotatably mounted on support 10 by inserting trunnions 34 into respective notches 22.

Drum 12 is conveniently constructed by sawing and machining an initially cylindrical block of material, preferably wood, to form ribs 26', projections 30 and spacer 32. The elements of drum 12 are thus integrally related, as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Trunnions 34 may be formed of metal to provide ease of rotation within notches 22.

Holder 14 comprises a pair of initially planar, elongated, transparent plastic sheets 36 and 38 which are joined in substantially face-toface relationship by heat sealing the adjacent sides 40 thereof. A plurality of sideby-side, substantially flat pockets 42 are formed in holder 14 by heat sealing along equally spaced, transverse lines across sheets 36 and 38, and pockets 42 are thus interconnected by flexible strip areas 44. As best shown in FIG. 5, sheet 36 is slightly narrower than sheet 38 to give an offset relationship on the open side 46 of holder 14.

In use, each successive pair of pockets 42 of holder 14 are folded about a corresponding strip 44 to form a plurality of display members 48 which are then mounted on drum 12 by looping a retaining string 50 about alternating strips 44 which interconnect members 48. A continuous length of string is employed for this operation and may start, for example, from a nail 52 placed in one end of hub 24. String 50 is wrapped or looped over an alternating strip 44 to draw the latter into the bottom of a respective, longitudinal slot 28. String 50 is then tightened against the inner surface of a proximal projection 30 as shown in FIG. 2, after which it is looped over the next alternating strip 44 to draw the latter into an adjacent slot 28'. String 50 is sequentially looped and tightened over successive alternating strips 44 and proximal projections 30 until all members 48 have been drawn into their display positions. String 50' is then tied to a projection 30 or nail 52 so that string 50 securely retains members 48 on the drum.

When drum 12 is fully supplied with members 48, they will naturally suspend from the drum as shown in FIG. 2. Cards 54, such as novelty cards or picture postcards, are placed in pockets 42 through open side 46 for display. Thus, a person viewing the rotary display unit will be able to see the cards which are located in the uppermost pair of pockets 42. If the person desires to View other cards, he need only flip either of the uppermost members 48 to pivot the latter about the proximal section of string 50 and drum 12 will automatically rotate and rebalance itself due to the added weight of a pivoted member 48 on one side of the drum.

Thus, as each member 48 is pivoted to bring the cards thereof into register for display, the uppenmost pockets 42 will always lie in a substantially horizontal plane as shown in FIG. 2. When a customer desires to remove a card 54 from its respective pocket 42, he need only reach into open side 46 and grasp the card, this operation being facilitated by the offset relationship between the sheets 36 and 38.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a rotary display unit having a support rotatably receiving a drum which is adapted to carry and selectively exhibit a plurality of side-by-side, substantially flat display pockets joined to each other by interconnecting flexible strips, each successive pair of pockets being folded about a corresponding strip to form display members, the

' latter being joined by alternating strips, said drum comprising:

a hub; shaft structure on the opposed ends of said hub for rotatably mounting said drum in said support; and retaining means on said hub for securing said alternate strips longitudinally on the drum in a successive, spaced manner.

2. In a rotary display unit having a support rotatably receiving a drum Which is adapted to carry and selectively exhibit a plurality of side-by-side, substantially fiat display pockets joined to each other by interconnecting flexible strips, each successive pair of pockets being folded about a corresponding strip to form display members, the lat ter being joined by alternating strips, said drum comprising:

a hub;

shaft structure on the opposed ends of said hub for rotatably mounting said drum in said support; and

a plurality of longitudinal rib sections mounted on and extending radially from said hub and defining a plurality of slots therebetween so that said drum will carry said display members when a string is coupled to said alternating strips to draw the latter into respective slots and said string is tightened.

3. In a rotary display unit having a support rotatably receiving a drum which is adapted to carry and selectively exhibit a plurality of side-by-side, substantially flat ,display pockets joined to each other by interconnecting flexible strips, each successive pair of pockets being folded about acorresponding strip to form display members, the latter being joined by alternating strips, said drum comprising:

a hub section;

shaft structure on the opposed ends of said hub for rotatably mounting said drum in said support;

a plurality of longitudinal rib sections mounted on and extending radially from said hub and defining a plurality of slots therebetween; and

a projection extending outwardly from an end of one of said sections so that said drum will carry said display members when a string is coupled to said alternating strips to draw the latter into respective slots and said string is tightened about said projection.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein a projection extends outwardly from each end of each of said ribs so that a continuous length of string may be successively looped about said alternating strips and sequentially tightened about corresponding proximal projections to draw said alternating strips into respective slots.

5. In a rotary display unit having a support rotatably receiving a drum which is adapted to carry and selectively exhibit a plurality of side-by-side, substantially fiat display pockets joined to each other by interconnecting flexible strips, each successive pair of pockets being folded about a corresponding strip to form display members, the latter being joined by alternating strips, said drum comprising:

a hub;

shaft structure on the opposed ends of said hub for rotatably mounting said drum in said support;

a plurality of longitudinal ribs mounted on and extending radially from said hub and defining a plurality of slots therebetween, said ribs having a substantially rectangular, transverse, cross-sectional configuration, the outer surfaces thereof being arcuate to define a generally cylindrical outer surface of the drum; and

a projection extending outwardly from each of said ribs, the outer surface of each projection being coextensive with the outer arcuate surface of its respective rib whereby a continuous length of string may be successively looped about said alternating strips and sequentially tightened about corresponding proximal projections to draw said alternating strips into respective slots.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 508,459 11/1893 Wood 40--72 1,313,173 8/1919 Eastman 40-72 FOREIGN PATENTS 818,046 8/ 1959 Great Britain.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

R. CARTER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A ROTARY DISPLAY UNIT HAVING A SUPPORT ROTATABLY RECEIVING A DRUM WHICH IS ADAPTED TO CARRY AND SELECTIVELY EXHIBIT A PLURALITY OF SIDE-BY-SIDE, SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT DISPLAY POCKETS JOINED TO EACH OTHER BY INTERCONNECTING FLEXIBLE STRIPS, EACH SUCCESSIVE PAIR OF POCKETS BEING FOLDED ABOUT A CORRESPONDING STRIP TO FORM DISPLAY MEMBERS, THE LATTER BEING JOINED BY ALTERNATING STRIPS, SAID DRUM COMPRISING: A HUB; SHAFT STRUCTURE ON THE OPPOSED ENDS OF SAID HUB FOR ROTATABLY MOUNTING SAID DRUM IN SAID SUPPORT; AND RETAINING MEANS ON SAID HUB FOR SECURING SAID ALTERNATE STRIPS LONGITUDINALLY ON THE DRUM IN A SUCCESSIVE, SPACED MANNER. 